Description and characteristics of the ornamental variety of apple royalty, planting and care
The Royalty apple variety is decorative. It is widely used in landscaping private gardens. The tree has small fruits, the size of cherries. The harvest ripens in the fall. The plant pleases the eye with its unusual leaf color and amazing flowering, which looks like sakura. Royalty is easy to maintain and suitable for different climatic zones.
Description of the variety
The variety adapts well to drought and gusty winds. Easily adapts to dust and gas pollution. The decorative apple tree Royal Beauty is very similar to the Royal. This is one hybrid species descended from the purple apple tree. Fruit trees are used for decoration:
- park zones;
- adjoining territory;
- squares.
Plants look spectacular not only with a single planting, but also with an alley, group. Also used as a hedge.
The red-leaved beauty has not yet become widespread in our country, but due to its spectacular appearance, it increasingly appears as a decoration on personal plots and in the courtyards of high-rise buildings.
The advantages include:
- regular productivity;
- early maturity;
- exquisite crown shape;
- high winter hardiness.
Apples are inedible, tart and very bitter. When consumed even in small amounts, they cause an eating disorder.
Characteristics of the Apple Royalty
It is required to artificially form the crown, otherwise lateral growth will quickly form on the plant, which turns the Royalty apple tree into a shrub.
Tree height
The plant grows slowly. At 10 years of age, the height rarely exceeds 4 meters. It grows to a maximum of 6 meters.
Crown width
In the first few years, the crown grows slightly, therefore it is very compact in appearance. There are varieties:
- Weeping. The branches are neatly laid down and create a harmonious shape without human intervention. Pruning makes minor adjustments to which the cultivar responds well.
- Growing vertically. In an adult plant, the crown reaches 4-5 meters in width. At first, it is compact and grows slightly. Most often spherical in shape, it is also oval. In an adult tree, it becomes wide and spreading.
Annual growth
In the early years, the growth is insignificant, therefore the plant is compact.After 3 years, the tree builds up a strong root mass and proceeds to the growth of the aboveground part. The annual growth of the Royalties is a maximum of 40 centimeters. Depends on growing conditions and plant variety. A slight increase helps maintain the unity of the compositions for a long time.
Leaves
Key Features:
- have a glossy surface;
- leaf blades are oblong, elliptical, slightly narrowed, about 10 centimeters long;
- in autumn they turn into a rich crimson color;
- in spring, foliage color is purple, bright, at the end of summer it becomes red.
The foliage does not crumble for a long time. Therefore, the plant stands out for a long time with its bright color among the gray autumn garden.
Frost resistance
If the groundwater is deep, then the tree tolerates severe frosts down to -35 ° C. In a particularly windy winter, flower buds may freeze.
Disease resistance
The Royalty apple tree has good disease resistance. If there are foci of fungal infections in the garden on fruit trees, it is necessary to carry out prevention in order to prevent the spread of the disease and not to spoil the appearance of the apple tree. The culture is prophylactically treated simultaneously with other apple trees.
How to choose the right seedlings when buying
In order for the plant to please with a beautiful, healthy look, special attention is paid when choosing a seedling:
- must be strong, healthy, without visible damage;
- height 1.5 meters;
- bark color - bright green;
- there should be no scratches on the stem;
- with a lush root system.
For planting, biennial seedlings are chosen. A plant with overdried roots has little chance of taking root. During transport, the root system is covered with a wet cloth. For transportation over long distances, a seedling is purchased in a container.
Live buds should be closed during spring planting. In autumn, the crop should have leaves.
Basic requirements for proper tree planting
In order for a tree to please with a beautiful crown and a healthy appearance, it is necessary to pay close attention to the planting rules.
Optimal timing
In the spring, it is recommended to plant before bud break. In autumn - in October, there should be at least a month before frost.
Selecting and preparing a landing site
The culture prefers areas with abundant sunlight. The color of the foliage will change depending on the light. With minimal light, the leaves have a less saturated color.The variety is sensitive to excess moisture. If groundwater is found at a distance of less than 2 meters from the surface, the apple tree may die.
It is preferable to plant the plant on soils:
- breathable;
- fertile;
- slightly acidic;
- neutral.
The soil should be free of rubble and limestone.
Preparation of seedlings
Before planting, it is recommended to prepare the plant:
- the roots are gently straightened;
- placed in water for at least 2 hours.
Broken branches are cut off during transportation.
Planting plan for seedlings
The planting hole is dug out twice as much coma with roots. A distance of 2.5 meters is maintained between plantings, and 4 meters between rows.
Fertilization is prohibited in autumn. They can provoke budding for the winter. The seedling is immersed in the hole so that the graft remains above the surface.
Apple tree care
The variety has a positive attitude towards mulching. Use:
- pine bark;
- peat;
- nutshells;
- wood chips.
Mulch will help protect the soil from drying out and reduce weeding.
Watering
Water the plant as needed:
- during a drought;
- at high temperatures;
- when the soil dries out.
Excessive moisture has a negative effect on the state of the apple tree.Lack of liquid also badly affects the decorative appearance of the plant and flowering. Mulch retains the required amount of moisture well. If it is absent, after each watering, the trunk circle is loosened and weeds are immediately removed.
Top dressing
It is enough to fertilize once a year. For this, a complex fertilizer is purchased for ornamental plants. In late autumn, the soil around the trunk is covered with rotted humus. After the snow melts, they dig up the ground.
Pruning
The apple variety has a beautiful and compact crown. Plants are rarely and accurately pruned, since the apple tree does not like this procedure. The variety is not intended for decorative crown formation. During pruning, damaged, dry, diseased and improperly growing branches are removed. The parts growing inside the crown must be completely trimmed.
So that infections do not penetrate through the sections, after the procedure they are coated with garden varnish.
Protection against diseases and pests
The plant is moderately scab resistant. It is also slightly susceptible to fungal infections.
The variety belongs to decorative, and the fruits are not used for food, therefore, at any stage of fruiting, it is allowed, if necessary, to treat the apple tree with preparations:
- "Topaz";
- "Speed";
- bordeaux liquid.
Weeds and grass create favorable conditions for the spread of pests and diseases. Therefore, they must be removed in time around the trunk. Also, the trunk circle is regularly loosened so that the soil is saturated with oxygen. This will allow the plant to grow strong, which will help withstand ailments.
Flowering and fruiting
Blooms luxuriantly and profusely for 2 weeks. It blooms faster in hot weather. There are a lot of flowers on the branches that you can't even see the branches. Therefore, the tree looks like a blooming ball. Thanks to this feature, landscape designers often use the apple tree to decorate the territory. During the fruiting period, the fruits become the decoration of the tree. Small in size, they look elegant on the branches and decorate the plant even after the foliage has completely fallen off.
Varieties and subspecies
Most often, the Royalties are grown on a trunk. Varieties:
- Royalty pendula is a plant with a columnar crown and weeping branches. Green leaves, pink flowers.
- Apple tree of Nedzvetsky... The shoots are dark pink, and the leaves are purple. The flowers are pink.
- Royalty Beauty - weeping. The branches fall down and form a waterfall of fruits and foliage.
The subspecies are frost-hardy and suitable for cultivation in various climatic zones. The unpretentiousness of the variety allows you to grow apple trees in places that are not suitable for the growth of other fruit trees.
